86 research outputs found
Effect of the irrigation method and genotype on the bioaccumulation of toxic and trace elements in rice
The total concentration of three toxic elements (As, Cd and Pb) and five oligoelements (Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni and Se) has been determined using an original and completely validated ICP-MS method. This was applied to rice grains from 26 different genotypes cultivated in the same soil and irrigated with the same water in three different ways: by the traditional continuous flooding (CF) and by two intermittent methods, the sprinkler irrigation (SP) and the periodical saturation of the soil (SA). The adoption of SP hugely minimizes the average amounts of almost all elements in kernels (−98% for As, −90% for Se and Mn, −60% for Mo, −50% for Cd and Pb), with the only exception of Ni, whose concentration increases the average amount found in the CF rice by 7.5 times. Also SA irrigation is able to reduce the amounts of As, Mo and Pb in kernels but it significantly increases the amounts of Mn, Ni and – mainly - Cd. Also the nature of the genotype determined a wide variability of data within each irrigation method. Genotypes belonging to Indica subspecies are the best bioaccumulators of elements in both CF and SP methods and, never, the worst bioaccumulators for any element/irrigation method combination. In the principal component analysis, PC1 can differentiate samples irrigated by SP by those irrigated by CF and SA, whereas PC2 provides differentiation of CF samples by SA samples. When looking at the loading plot Ni is negatively correlated to the majority of the other elements, except Cu and Cd having negative loadings on PC2. These results allow to envisage that a proper combination of the irrigation method and the nature of rice genotype might be a very valuable tool in order to successfully achieve specific objectives of food safety or the attainment of functional properties
Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy
IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical
attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced
colorectal cancers at diagnosis.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced
oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all
17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December
31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period),
in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was
30 days from surgery.
EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery,
palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer
at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as
cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding,
lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery,
and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes
was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster
variable.
RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years)
underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142
(56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was
significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR],
1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic
lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the
SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients
undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for
these patients
Airway bleeding during pulmonary endarterectomy: the "bubbles" technique.
Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is a technically demanding
operation, currently performed in few centers worldwide.
1 A bloodless surgical field is mandatory to identify
the correct arterial dissection plane, which has to be extended
toward subsegmental branches with limited visibility.
Vessel perforation is a rare but potentially fatal
complication, leading to uncontrollable airway bleeding.
A general algorithm for the approach to pulmonary hemorrhage
has been proposed by the group from the University of
California at San Diego,2 whereas alternative managements
are only briefly mentioned in the literature.3 Extracorporeal
life support unloads pulmonary circulation but invariably requires
anticoagulation, which is detrimental in pulmonary
hemorrhage. We describe a novel technique for the treatment
of intraoperative airway bleeding during PEA
Potential Role of Probiotics for Inflammaging: A Narrative Review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammaging, a chronic, low-grade inflammation (LGI), is one of the mechanisms of adaptation of an organism to aging. Alterations in the composition of gut microbiota and gut permeability are among the main sources of LGI. They may be modulated by supplementation with live microorganisms, i.e. probiotics. This narrative review was performed with the aim to critically examine the current evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the effects of probiotics on pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) in healthy older subjects. METHODOLOGY: RCTs on the effects of probiotics on inflammatory parameters in subjects older than 65 years published in English and Italian from 1990 to October 2020 were searched in PubMed. Studies that were not RCTs, those using probiotics together with prebiotics (synbiotics), and studies performed in subjects with acute or chronic diseases were excluded. The findings of RCTs were reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS: A total of nine RCTs met the eligibility criteria and were included in this narrative review. Four articles reported that probiotic supplementation significantly affected inflammatory parameters, respectively, by reducing TGF-β1 concentrations, IL-8, increasing IL-5 and Il-10, and IFN-γ and IL-12. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this narrative review, probiotic supplementation showed a limited effect on inflammatory markers in healthy individuals older than 65 years. Besides being few, the studies analyzed have methodological limitations, are heterogeneous, and provide results which are incomparable
Prediction of apparent per capita consumption of round wood in Venezuela using Arima models
En este artÃculo se pronostica el consumo aparente de madera en rolas con fines industriales (CpC) en Venezuela, usando modelos autoregresivos integrados de Medias Móviles (ARIMA). El mejor modelo fue un ARIMA (p=2, d=1, q=2). Se pronostica que el CPC levemente se incrementara entre los años 2006 y 2010, alcanzando una cantidad de 0,0441 m3/ha/persona/año, lo que serÃa equivalente, tomando en cuenta el crecimiento poblacional, a un consumo aparente de 1.272.044 m3 en el 2010, veintisiete por ciento más que en el 2005. Más del cincuenta por ciento del consumo actual de madera rolliza industrial proviene de las plantaciones de pino Caribe, sin embargo gran parte será destinada a los proyectos industriales de CVG PROFORCA, lo cual reducirá significativamente la oferta nacional. Para evitar una caÃda del consumo per cápita a nivel nacional, Venezuela necesitará incrementar las importaciones, aprovechar más bosques naturales, incrementar en el corto plazo el área destinada a plantaciones forestales, o incrementar sustancialmente la productividad en las plantaciones y bosques naturales. PolÃticas gubernamentales proactivas pueden ser útiles para alcanzar estos desafiantes [email protected]@[email protected] paper forecast the per capita apparent consumption of industrial round wood (CPC) in Venezuela using autoregressive integrated moving average models (ARIMA). The best model was formulated as an arima (p=2, d=1, q=2). It forecast that CPC will increase slightly from 2006 to 2010, reaching a quantity of
0,0441m3/person/ year, that should be equivalent, taking into account the population growth, to an apparent consumption of 1.272.044 m3 in 2010, twenty seven percent more than in 2005. More than fifty percent of current industrial roundwood apparent consumption is from Caribbean pine plantations, but these are likely to be used by CVG PROFORCa industrial projects, which will reduce domestic supply greatly. To avoid a decline of the per capita domestic
consumption, Venezuela will need to increase imports, harvest more natural rain forests, rapidly increase forest plantations, or substantially increase productivity on current plantations and natural forests. Proactive government policies can help achieve these challenging goals
Surgical treatment of primary pulmonary artery sarcoma
Objective: Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is a severe and underdiagnosed disease, with the clinical and
surgical approach not clearly established. Only a few individual case reports or small series on this topic
have been published. The aim of the present study was to report our surgical experience in this field.
Methods: From March 2004 to December 2012, 13 patients underwent surgery for pulmonary artery sarcoma at
our institution. In 7 patients, the sarcoma was unilateral (53.8%), and in 6 (46.2%), the tumor had already
extended to both lungs. The surgical strategy evolved over the years, but the 2 techniques used were always
the same: pneumonectomy in 5 patients and pulmonary endarterectomy in 8.
Results: Two patients died in-hospital, both in the pneumonectomy group. The median length of the intensive
care unit and hospital stay was 1 day (range, 1-10) and 14 days (range, 11-17) for the pneumonectomy group
and 6 days (range, 3-23) and 19 days (range, 10-32) fort the pulmonary endarterectomy group, respectively.
The median survival was 26.8 months after pneumonectomy and 6.6 months after pulmonary endarterectomy.
Conclusions: Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma has a poor prognosis. The surgical strategy at our institution
included pneumonectomy, for possible radical resection, and palliative endarterectomy, to reduce symptoms
and increase the life expectancy. The correct surgical approach must be evaluated individually, according
to the tumor presentation, the presence of pulmonary hypertension, and the patient’s clinical condition. (J Thorac
Cardiovasc Surg 2013;-:1-6
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